Why do so many threads here devolve into bickering?

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by jimmy-moots

Maybe I’m being grumpy myself. I just read a thread on squats that ended with two members arguing about whether or not push-ups or pull-ups are better.

Yes. You’re being grumpy. (As the person who advocated the push-ups) Furthermore, the person who advocated the pull-ups was wrong.
Carry on ...

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Yes. You’re being grumpy. (As the person who advocated the push-ups) Furthermore, the person who advocated the pull-ups was wrong.
Carry on ...

. ^———— is your answer, OP

[benb]

Originally Posted by jamesdak

Funny read as I sit down with my coffee.

Now tape your damn tubulars!

Clinchers have less rolling resistance!

And that’s how it goes.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by joosttx

. ^———— is your answer, OP

It's called humor

[Plum Hill]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xpAvcGcEc0k

[Tickdoc]

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xpAvcGcEc0k

And to think we’ve been getting that for free this whole time.

Maybe we can install a mod activated “swear jar”? Violators must pledge a fine to the paceline donate button to get their right to post reinstated.

[mhespenheide]

Because pretty much all of us are stressed, most of us hold our opinions strongly (>guilty!<), and bickering with anonymous strangers online is less risky than picking a fight with someone in real life.

.

I will add another vote for an official OT sub-forum. Y'all are educated, informed, and experienced in a way that I trust people here about all sorts of thing beyond bikes -- cars, audio, tequila, houses...

[bigbill]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

Because pretty much all of us are stressed, most of us hold our opinions strongly (>guilty!<), and bickering with anonymous strangers online is less risky than picking a fight with someone in real life.

.

I will add another vote for an official OT sub-forum. Y'all are educated, informed, and experienced in a way that I trust people here about all sorts of thing beyond bikes -- cars, audio, tequila, houses...

Vsalon across the hall has subforums where you can disagree about all kinds of subjects. And regardless of the times or stress, we've always been this way.

[BobbyJones]

Quite a few people here aren’t as open minded as they think they are. Nor do they have good reading comprehension resulting in a vicious cycle.

I’m saying that in the general sense, not because of a specific topic.

Anyway, I appreciate the “better” conversations that people have and the diversity of knowledge here. Sometimes it’s hard to see that through all of the yelling.

My 2¢

[dgauthier]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

(...) I will add another vote for an official OT sub-forum. (...)

I would respectfully discourage that notion, because splitting a single forum into sub-forums is (imho) what killed The Bicycle Fan Club.

Back around 2000 or so the forerunner of the Serotta forum (which was the forerunner of The Paceline) was The Bicycle Fan Club. It was a remarkably vibrant, civil, and knowledgable forum, hosted by "Kahuna," a very nice gentleman in Hawaii. After a few years of a single forum, Kahuna broke it into a dozen or so sub-forums for different brands: there was a Cannondale forum, a Time forum, a Look forum, a Serotta forum, a Custom forum, etc.

Imagine a fun party of 30 people in one room. It's fun. It's vibrant. Now spread those 30 people out over 20 rooms. Now there's only one or two people in each room. It's dull. It's boring. Eventually The Bicycle Fan Club faded into irrelevance, only to be saved from complete death by the Serotta portion, re-hosted by Serotta. Similarly, an official "OT" sub-forum would create two forums each with half the traffic. Snore.

Our differences and interests beyond cycling keep this forum interesting. To be respectful, and indeed, to celebrate those differences -- without mean-spirited bickering -- is what this community has generally succeeded at for two decades.

[Blue Jays]

Originally Posted by bigbill

"...Vsalon across the hall has subforums where you can disagree about all kinds of subjects..."

The disconcerting thing at VS is they simply ban participants from the entire VS website for not agreeing with the prevailing mindset in the sub-forums. It is otherwise a terrific source of information for bicycles, much like Paceline. That's how they roll.

[Blue Jays]

Most of us take varying viewpoints on assorted topics on the internet totally in stride and give them consideration.
Posters here have changed my mind about bicycle components through really good thought-provoking commentary.

[oldpotatoe]

the key is...don't think we are immune. I am talking about all people. I am talking about.....all of us, me included!

fify-

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by Louis

Shut your festering gob, you twit! Your type makes me puke! You vacuous toffee-nosed malodorous pervert!!!

I'd like to have an argument about the accuracy of this citation.
I believe the 'w' in 'twit' does not belong.

[FlashUNC]

Sartre said it best: Hell is other people.